Lexus RX

Luxury and value proposition are two terms that rarely come together in the automotive world. As a luxury car buyer, one has the room to move beyond the usual needs and wants when it comes to buying a new car, like a strong obsession with mileage, practicality, and, in some cases, durability. However, such compromises may not be a necessity in the case of the Lexus RX 350h, which is a great option to consider in the sub-Rs 1 crore luxury SUV segment. As we found after spending time with the strong hybrid SUV, it manages to deliver a balance of standout design, luxury, comfort and efficiency.

The RX 350h design may make the car look unassuming, especially in pictures, but when you see it in person, you realise how large it actually is. The urban, flow-y design, combined with it not being the tallest SUV in this price bracket, makes it look compact, but measuring at almost 4.9 metres in length and almost 1.9 metres in width, it is anything but.

The high-set front fascia, large grill and the protruding ‘nose’ of the car give it a distinct appearance. The car’s presence is amplified by the signature L-shaped LED DRLs.

The India-spec model comes with 21-inch machined alloy wheels that add ample bling to the side profile, and the floating roofline design, which sort of ‘pinches’ towards the rear, is a highlight. The monolithic front end is complemented by an elegant rear design. I also liked how the rear quarter glass seems to seamlessly merge into the rear glass panel.

At the back, the connected L-shaped LED taillamps emphasise the width. And what stood out from the back, is the subtly integrated ‘Lexus’ lettering around the tail light housing, which looks neat.

On the inside, the interior has a healthy mix of shades and colours - ranging from black, brown and even some wooden-finish accent pieces - all of which were part of the ‘Dark Sepia’ package our test unit came fitted with. Overall, the cabin gives a prominent sense of spaciousness. The gloss black-finished housing for the 7-inch digital instrument cluster and the 14-inch infotainment system stands and is angled ever-so-slightly towards the driver. However, the design and UI of the instrument cluster feel dated and not something that you would expect in a car of this segment, today. The driver is treated with a memory function for the seat with three settings that include the steering wheel position, which is adjustable for both reach and height, and the steering wheel itself comes with paddle-shifters, touch pads with haptic feedback, along with lane keep assist and controls for adaptive cruise control. Another highlight is the 64-colour ambient lighting, which, while highly customisable, might be a bit too subtle in brightness depending on your taste.

The panoramic sunroof ups the ambience and the front seats feel plush and comfortable even for someone with a large build like myself and I also appreciated comfortable side bolstering.

The RX 350h is built on the GA-K platform, thanks to which, the SUV gets an impressive wheelbase of 2,850mm. This also opens up ample space for the second row passengers as well. What’s also worth noting is that since the car gets an eCVT transmission (more on that later), the transmission tunnel is not that intrusive, adding to the sense of space even when three people are seated at the back. The sloping roofline may give tall passengers headroom issues, but the ample recline angle can solve that. For reference, I am 5’11” and sitting with the seats upright made headroom a bit of a squeeze, however, this wasn’t a complaint once I reclined the seat.

Lastly, the rear seats also get ventilation function and the RX gets three-zone climate control, giving the rear passengers the freedom to adjust the AC according to their preference, even if it doesn’t match the requirements of those seated at the front.

This section can get a bit exhausting when it comes to an SUV from the sub-Rs 1 crore segment. So, in the interest of time, rest assured that the RX 350h covers the basics with highlights such as an information-packed Head Up Display with customisable interfaces and a crisp-sounding Mark Levinson surround sound system.

It also comes with the Lexus E-latch door locking mechanism with Safe Exit Assist, which uses the Blind Spot Monitoring System to detect vehicles approaching from the rear and, in case of a projected collision, will cancel the door unlatch operation. I found this to be useful and was a great reminder to always check for incoming traffic while opening doors, even in seemingly safe conditions.

As you can sense, safety is among the top priorities with the RX 350h. It gets the Lexus System + suite that gets autonomous safety features such as emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure alert, blind spot monitoring and more. However, the system resets at every startup, so, any function that you may have deactivated needs to be turned off every time you start the vehicle.

Lexus has given the SUV a powerful 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally-aspirated engine that comes with twin electric motors attached to each of the axles. The output stands at just shy of the 250 hp mark and overall, this makes the car decently quick and capable of reaching a top speed of 200 km/h. The AWD capability only adds to the sure-footedness of the car, even though you will feel its weight when pushing it hard through corners, especially during quick direction changes. Transmission duties are taken care of by an eCVT transmission, which plays a major role in the smooth and linear nature of the car.

Coming to the ride comfort, the overall setup felt to be on the softer side. Over road undulations and at highway speeds, the SUV tends to bounce but never enough to make you lose confidence. In everyday scenarios and as a whole, the car feels composed and keeps the passengers comfortable, while at the same time, the driver gets ample feedback without feeling disconnected, which tends to happen in cars with a focus on a properly plush ride. Thankfully, not in the case of this Lexus. Overall, driving the RX 350h comes easily despite its large dimensions, and it does encourage spirited driving when the conditions are suitable.

With the ever-rising fuel prices and the charging infrastructure that never feels good enough, the Lexus RX 350h travels almost twice as much in a single tank when compared to some of its alternatives in the price bracket, and subsequently, costs almost half to run. Moreover, being a hybrid, it does not need an external charging point to power the battery pack, allowing you to be independent of the charging infrastructure around you. During our test, the RX 350h safely returned a mileage of about 15 km/l in everyday driving conditions, including a mix of highway speeds with a majority of heavy traffic during commutes. Do keep in mind that this was a testing driving pattern and you may end up achieving an even higher figure. To wrap up the mileage section, this SUV with a 65-litre fuel tank has a potential range of hitting the magic 1,000 km per full tank milestone!

At a price tag of Rs 89.99 lakh (ex-showroom), the Lexus RX 350h undercuts most of its European rivals by a decent margin. Yes, in some areas like the interior and feature list, some competitors in 2026 might be ahead, the RX 350h claws back with a good overall package that has incredible running costs. And being a Lexus, you can be sure that it is built like a tank.

To sum it up, if things like an understated appeal and attention to detail hold value for your luxury SUV purchase that you intend to use as a daily-driver, then the RX 350h makes a strong case for itself in the segment. Brand-conscious buyers with a more flashy taste might still end up going towards European options and fill up the tank twice more often.